Belly up: Food Truck Fiesta coming to Mercer County Park

WEST WINDSOR — Hamilton residents Adam Browne and his wife Beata have attended several food truck events since starting their Surf and Turf Truck business last April, serving up their signature warm lobster roll topped with mangos, jalapeno peppers, sautéed kale and cabbage on toasted bread.

But the vendors are organizing their own event on Saturday with a dozen other truckers from New Jersey and beyond, who will bring a variety of flavors to Mercer County Park for those interested in finger-licking fun, organizers said.

“Events like this are becoming very popular. There hasn’t been anything like this in the Mercer County area,” Browne said. “We wanted to bring something different with no duplicate vendors to feature a nice mix of different food and something for everyone.”

The rain-or-shine Food Truck Fiesta features a lineup of 13 vendors including Cupcake Carnivale, offering made-from-scratch goodies; Kevin’s Salad Station, featuring vegetarian and vegan salads and smoothies; and Dark Side of the Moo, serving bison, venison and yak.

“This will be a small-scale event in hopes of doings something bigger in the fall,” said Jim Haggerty, director of Mercer County events.

The Brownes’ truck will offer a variety of dishes including a vegetarian grilled tofu roll with garlic aioli, sun-dried tomatoes, kale and cabbage, and a salmon burger with green onions, spices, kale and cabbage, all smothered with tartar sauce.

While Browne works as the “grease man on the grill,” his wife takes charge of marketing and scheduling events, he said. Browne’s sister-in-law Cindy Matas, “the face of the truck,” serves the specialties to hungry guests, he said.

Haggerty said the Brownes pitched the idea in October. Browne wants to keep the event small to see how well-attended it will be, he said. He expects it will attract about 3,000 people, depending on the weather, he said.

“We wanted to keep the trucks to a minimum this year, rather than having too many vendors and disappointing people,” he said.

While each vendor approaches event preparation in a different way, the Surf and Turf Truck will prepare food for about 500 people, Browne said.

The event will also feature live entertainment by Hamilton native DJ Ramona and Kindred Spirit, a five-member band from Mercer County. Children’s activities include a portable rock wall, petting zoo, pony rides and inflatable bounce houses.

Organizers are also providing fire pits that will burn on site throughout the day.

Unionville Vineyards will showcase 22 varieties of wine for tasting and purchase.

The event will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Boathouse Marina at 1638
Old Trenton Road. Entry is $5, free for children 2 and under.